My friend surely doesn’t stick to Japanese conventions and ideals: The young, Capoeira loving mom traveled a lot and has already been living outside the country for a long time. But whenever I’m asking questions, she tries to explain, to clear things up from a local perspective.

Time and time again I found Japanese storytelling profoundly touching because it doesn’t shy away from painful topics. Some of my favorite Japanese books and movies treat “death” and “loss” in ways that equally hurt and console: treating a topic like treating a wound, then. (tbc)

*The next episode of my Tokyo comic series appears on Thursday. By now, you have seen my friend and her parents, the latter in episodes #10 and #11. Next comes an encounter with the cousins.*